Counterweight for boring mills



Jan. 2, 1923.

Al C. WAIS'. v couNrEnwEmHT Foa wam@ MILLS.

FILED DEC.1S, 1920.

Patented ile-.ria E, lfa

' entre f ALBERT y.CARL WAIS, OF HAMILTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T NILES-BEE'IENT-POND COMPANY, OF NEWT YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF N-ET JERSEY.

COUNTERWEIGI-IT FOR BORING IVVIILLS.v

Application iled Decemberl, 1920, Serial No. l$31,592.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALBERT CARL RYAN,

a citizen of the United States, residingat Hamilton, in the county of Butler and'State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Oounterweight for Boring Mills, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to counter-balancing devices and particularly to such a `device adapted to counterbalance the weight of a tool slide7 as the boringl mill tool slide illustrated in the accompanying 'drawing'.

It should be understood, however, that Y' the drawing is merely illustrative of the invention and is not intended to in any way limit the same to use in conjunction with any particular machine, the scope of the invention being* defined by the claims appended hereto.

The pri-mary object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanism of the above character which will be very effective and eiiicient in operation and which will be adapted for general use where such a mechanism is desired and particularly adapted .for use in connection with metal working machines, as illustrated.

Other and more specie objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds. v

Referring to the figures of the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the counterbalancing mechanism as applied to aboring mill tool slide.

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof partially in section. i

Fig. 3 is a rear perspective detail view of the tool slide counterbalancing drum.

In metal working machines, such. as boring and planingfmachines, it is essential that thel tool-supporting slide be properly .counter balanced in order that the cut may be true however rough oi' uneven thev Surface rof the work may be. Viei'e the tool `slide tend by its own weight to drop into any depressions it might encounter in the work surface and thereby make the eut uneven. 5()

element engaging means on and extending along the slide, such means being separate and distinct from the usual adgusting rack not properly counterb,ala-need. the tool would In the present invention the improved counterbalancing mechanism comprises a rotary slide upwardly with the rack teeth therein in firm engag ment with the teeth of the` rack-operating pinion. In the drawing l indicates thecross rail of a boring machine or planer on which is mounted a saddle 2, a head 3 and a toolsupporting slide 4. These members' are of the usualconstructiomthe saddle being horizontally adjustable along the rail, the head being angularly adjustable about ahorizontal axis 5 on the saddle and the slide being y longitudinally and normally verticallyad'- justable on the head.

The means for adjustinfr the slide Ll comprises a rack 6 on the slide engaged by a 70 pinion 7 on a tubularshaft 8 mounted in the head and saddle preferably atthe swivel axis thereof. The shaft 8 is operated from a shaft 9 extendingalong the rail and having a wQrIn 10 splined thereon and engag- 75 ing a worin wheel` 11 keyedr to the shaft 8.' t will be understood that by vlotlting" the Shaft 9 inone direction ,or the'othen `the slide 4L may be moved verticallyin either direction. y

The present, invention concerns particularlythe following' mechanism for counterbalancing` the weightlof the slide 4. Mounted on' a shaft 12 in thejhead 3 and preferably coaxial with the shaft 8 is a rotaryy ele- ,85 ment, as the sprocket wheel 13, engaging a flexible member, as the sprocket chain 14, the ends 15 and 16 of which are secured to the slide 4. An idler sprocket 17 is also provided on the head 3. and the chain passes 90 around the sprockets 13 and 17 as indicated in Fig. l. It will bek seen. that rotation .of the sprocket 13 in one directionor the other will raise or lower the slide. The shaft l2 is operated from a drum 18 keyed to the rear 95 end thereof. A cord 19has its opposite ends secured to the drum 18 at 18a, as .illustrated in Fig. 3. One endof this cord passes in one direction off the bottom vof the drum and the other end in the opposite ,100 directionv olf the top of the drum.

`This cord lheld tti-llt' by means of a counterweight 2O provided with a supporting" rGllerAZ; to receive the cord. `From the roller 2li the cordpasses iuowzmdlyv over 105 idler rollers 21 on their-ame .of the machine, then downwardly .over idler rollers 22.011 the CrOSS 'mit and from theme @ne Stra-nd 'of the @0rd passes te and is. reed-e fest te the betteln et the the einer :St-reed 11.0

, passes i no around. an idler roller 23 the op-v positeY end ol the rail and back to the top of the drum at Which point it is made fast. It will be seen therefore that the vtendency of the cord and Weight is to rotate the drum lto the right (Fig. 1)., such rotation acting `operation of the cord and its cooperating mechanism. By means ot the rollers 21, Q2, 23and the roller 2&1 in the couiitei'weight the cord is .iiiee to move along with the drum rail.

` the slide 4 `and hold the rack teeth 6 thereon A ce ' slide,

when the saddle is being adjusted along the` The shafts 8 and 12 are coaxialbut each operates independently of they other. The Weight 20 is normally su'llicient to raise upwardly in engagement With theteeth of the adjusting pinion 7 whereby the tool slide vis always held firmly vby thecounterbalancing -mechanism and the slide adjusting mechanism operating in opposite directions thereon. It will be clear that the use of such mechanism prevents any looseness of the tool slide and preventsthe dropping of the tool into a hole or ydepression should the same be encountered in the Work. 'Y

As this holds the slide and its attached parts in their uppermost position permitted by the elevating mechanism there is no tendency ior theslideto drop aslight distance When the tool enters a depression in the j Work. The amount of this upwardly acting force may be varied by increasing or decreasing the excessvof weight in the counterbalance over the Weight of the slide and attached parts.

llhat I claim is: 1. A counterbalance comprising the combiiiation of a slide, tvvo independently operated means for moving the slide vertically, one means comprising araclr on the slide and a pinion engaging the rack and theotli'er means comprising a rotary element engaging means other than the rack on and extending along the slide, means for operating one of the first mentioned means for adjusting the slide vertically, and` a counterbalaiiciiig mechanism for operating the other means to normally counterbalance the Weight of the j 2. rijcounterbalance comprising the combination of a slide, .tivo means for moving the slide vertically, one means comprisingv a vrack on the slide and a pinion engaging the rack and the other means comprising a rotary element engaging means other'than the rack on and extending along the slide, means for operating the rack-engaging pinion to adjust thefslide vertically, and a counterbal- ,sie

a rotary element engaging the Aleirible means, i

`and av counterbalance operatively connected to the element for rotating the same to nor- `mally counterbalance the Weight of the slide.

4i. A counterbalance comprising the combination of la slide, a rack on the slide, a pinion engagingthe raclr, means for operating the pinion to adjust the slide vertically, a chain extending longitudinally of the slide andv having its ends secured thereto, a I sprocket Wheel engaging the chain, and a counterbalancing Weight operatively 'connected to the sprocket Wheel for rotating the same to normally counterbalance the Weight of the slide. j I -5. A counterbalance comprising the coinbinatioii of a slide, a rackonothe slide,` a pinion engaging the rack, means for operating the pinion to adjust the slide/vertically, leXible means extending longitudinally of the slide and having its ends secured theretola rotary element mounted coaXial'ly of thepinion and engaging the ieXible means, and a counterbalance operatively connected to the f element for rotating the same to normally counterbalance the Weight of the slide. 6. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a cross rail, a saddle mounted to slide horizontally thereon, a slide mounted to operate vertically on thesaddle, a rack on theV slide, ar pinion engaging the rack,

means for operating the pinion `to adjust the slide vertically, flexible means extending longitudinally of the slide and having its ends secured thereto, a rotary elementv engaging the flexible means, and a counterhalancing mechanism operatively connectedto the element for rotating the same tonormally 'counterbalance the Weight of the slide.

7. In a machine of the class describedv` lthe, combination of a crossrail, a saddle mounted to slide horizontally thereon, a slide mounted to operate vertically on the saddle,

a yrack on the slide, a pinion. engaging the rack, means for operating the pinion yto adjust the slide vertically, a chain extending vr longitudinally of the slide and having its ends secured thereto, a sprocket .Wheel engaging the cha-in, and a counterbalancing Weight operatively connected tothe sprocket Wheel for rotating the same to normally counterbalance the Weight of the slide.

8. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a cross rail, a saddle mount" ed `to slide horizontally thereon, a head mounted ,for angular adjustment about a 136 horizontal axis on the saddle, a slide mounted to operate vertically on the head, a rack on the slide, a pinion mounted coaxially of the head axis and engaging the rack, means for operating the pinion to adjust the slide vertically, flexible means extending longitudinally of the slide and having its ends secured thereto, a rotary element mounted coaxially of the pinion and engaging the flexible means, and a counterbalancing mechanism operatively connected to the element for rotating' the same to normally counterbalance the Weight of' the slide.

9. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a cross rail, a saddle mount ed to slide horizontally thereon, a slide mounted to operate vertically o-n the saddle, a rack on the slide, a pinion engaging the rack, means for operating the pinion to adjust the slide vertically, flexible means extending longitudinally of the slide and having its ends secured thereto, a rotary element engaging the flexible means, a drum mounted coaxially of and operatively secured to the said element, a flexible cord extending along the rail and about the drum, and a counterbalancing Weight hung to the cord for placing tension on the same to rotate the drum tocounterba-lance the Weight ofthe slide.

l0. In a machine vof the class described, I lthe combination of a cross rail, a saddle `mounted to slide horizontally thereon, a head mounted for angular adjustment about a horizontal axis on the saddle, a slide mounted to operate vertically onl the head, a rack on the slide, a pinion mounted coaxially oi the head axis and engaging the rack, means for operating the pinion to adjust the slide vertically, flexible means extending longitudinally of the slide and having its ends secured thereto, a rotary element mounted coaxially of the pinion and engaging the flexible means, a drum mounted coaxially of and operatively secured to the said'element,

a flexible cord extending along the rail and about the drum, and a counterbalancing Weight hung to the cord adjacent one end of the rail for placing tension on the cord to rotate the drum to counterbalance the Weight of the slide.

In testimony whereof, I hereto affix my signature.

ALBERT CARL VVAIS. 

